Amid Moves in Abyei, Sudan & US Disagree on Kordofan, Oil Fee Not on Agenda

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 31 -- While US Ambassador Susan Rice insisted Thursday that "all of the operative paragraphs" of the Security Council's Resolution 2046 on Sudan and South Sudan are mandatory under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, her Sudanese counterpart Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman disagreed ten minutes later.

  "No one can stop us" from combating rebels in our own territory, he said, especially when armed from outside the country. Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman cited the Geneva Conventions. 

 

  It seems unlikely that the US agrees with this; take for example its position on what the Syrian government is doing in Homs, Hama and Houla. 

  But in the Press Statement read out by the outgoing Azerbaijani President of the Council after Ambassador Rice spoke, there was no move to enforce or seek accountability for violations of Resolution 2046.

  This may simply reflect real politik, that while portions remain unfulfilled, South Sudan's then Sudan's pull out (mostly) from Abyei is more than was expected, and focus has shifted to Syria, if it was ever primarily on Sudan of late.

  This was reflected in the questions directed to Ambassador Rice after she spoke at the stakeout about Sudan: of the five first questions, by three journalists, four question were about Syria. When Inner City Press was called on, it asked about the Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile paragraphs of the Resolution 2046, and about financial issues.

  Strangely, given the importance of the oil transfer fee issue to the dispute between the Sudans, it does not appear to be a topic in Addis Ababa. Ambassador Rice said "my understanding is that in this round thus far they have not gotten into the oil issues, the revenue-sharing issues."

   When Inner City Press asked if the US would support reducing Sudan's external debt at the IMF, Ambassador Rice said "I'm not prepared to answer that at this stage."

  Sudan's Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman said more pointed that until they are agreements on security, South Sudanese oil cannot flow through Sudan. So the standoff continues.

Footnote: After the two stakeouts, Sudan complained that Ambassador Rice "broke protocol" by speaking at the stakeout before the President of the Council. (It may be that the President was moving slow: slow but sure, although he declined to take questions.)

  More substantively the Sudanese said they do not think Rice would ever do anything helpful for (North) Sudan. Given where Rice may be headed, they might want to hope that is not true.

Inner City Press recently asked a member of the Sudanese delegation why his country has not thought of running for a Security Council seat. (It would certainly make interesting news to report.) He shook his head and said the Sudanese have "too much pride," and would not be willing to bow down. And so it goes.